My son HATES the vaccum, what can I do???

Question

I have to get a babysitter so I can vaccum the house! It's rediculous! I turn it on and he screams bloody murder, he's 1 yo and I used to use the vaccum to soothe him to sleep when he was an infant now he hates it. He SCREAMS like hes being beat, his face turns red and he runs out of breath he cries so hard, I can hear him over the vaccum on the other side of the house. I've tryed letting him play on it, bringing him to it while its on, holding him while i vaccum and turning it on while hes right next to it and trying to show him it cant hurt him, what else can I do to help him overcome his fear of the vaccum so I can get on with life and clean my house??? Please help!

Answer 1

Some young children up to about age of 5 have a problem with the high wine of a vacuum machine. Older children and adults do not hear this high pitch. What I have been told, it sets up a oscillation in the child's ears. This can hurt the ear.
They grow out of this in a very few years. close his bedroom door and do the cleaning when he is sleeping in there.

Answer 2

You can try to it when he is asleep in another room and leave a radio on to music he enjoys or leave the tv on to try to drown out the noise. Have you ever tried one of those stick vaccums? The ones you dont have to plug. They are cheap and noiseless. Also how about a hand held vaccum? He's young and he will eventually grow out of it. This something that really scares him so be patient w/ him. You house will get cleaned just not as quickly as you planned. My 2yr old runs to his dad or whoever is over to be held while I vaccum. Then he saw his older brother making a game of fighting the vaccum and he thought it was pretty funny. If he see's I'm vaccuming he'll get out of the way or room. I dont like to scare him, but when I have to vaccum I make sure my husband is there to hold him.

Answer 3

Get him his own play one, and put a smiley face on the real vaccum head. Put on music while you clean. When he screams, don't turn off the vacuum and don't scream back. Tell him gently to sit down. Tell him how a vaccum works. Show him the teletubbies, with the happy talking vaccum.

Answer 4

I would end any "special" or "different" behavior on your part while vacuuming.

Don't do any of the extra things you've listed (or any new ones). Simply go about your business, vacuum and totally ignore his cries. Pretty soon he'll realize it's not getting him ANY attention (good or otherwise) and he'll move on... meanwhile your floor will be clean without help from another person.

I guessing that by trying to show him that it's "not a big deal" you're actually making it a "big deal" and having the reverse desired affect. Try not giving any credibility to the vacuum AND the crying and see if it makes a difference.



...oh, and I'm not saying this will work overnight. It may take weeks, but you won't be any worse off than you are now.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 5

Sometimes at that age kids are scared that they'll be sucked into the vacum. Does he have older sibs that might have told him this? With my sisters kids they tell the younger ones all sorts of mean things. The 12 year old was telling the 3 month old the vacum would get her. The 3 month old doesn't understand but i'm not going to let the 12 year old hold her next time I vacum.

Maybe he just needs someone around to soothe him while the noise is on. Another thing could be to tell the pediatrition. Maybe his ears are sensitive to the loud noise.

Answer 6

I don't have a good solution, but I feel your pain. My son disliked it as a 1 year old (but would come look anyway with tears of fear running down his cheeks). Then he got over it and would even play with my small dustbuster.

Now he's 2 1/2 and more terrified than ever. Every time he drops a crumb of food on the ground he says, "I clean up with towel, no vacuum please?" and comes apart at the seams when I do turn it on. He's a normal little guy with no other real "fears". Not sure what to do either.

Answer 7

I would end any "special" or "different" behavior on your part while vacuuming.

Don't do any of the extra things you've listed (or any new ones). Simply go about your business, vacuum and totally ignore his cries. Pretty soon he'll realize it's not getting him ANY attention (good or otherwise) and he'll move on... meanwhile your floor will be clean without help from another person.

I guessing that by trying to show him that it's "not a big deal" you're actually making it a "big deal" and having the reverse desired affect. Try not giving any credibility to the vacuum AND the crying and see if it makes a difference.



...oh, and I'm not saying this will work overnight. It may take weeks, but you won't be any worse off than you are now.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 8

I would try encouraging him to do it with you. Little Tikes has a childrens vaccum. If that doesn't work, I would get a set of headphones and a book to distract him while you are doing it. I wouldn't get a babysitter so I could vaccum, that would only encourage him that its ok to freak out and that he will get my way-thats been my experience (mom to a 4 old boy)

Answer 9

My son doesn't care for the vacuum either. He screams and shakes, it's funny now because it's like alright already. But I leave mine sitting out even when I'm not using it so he'll become more familiar with it. I've also vacuumed with him in my arms and that helps some. Sometimes I send him outside with my husband. Last week when I vacuumed he just walked into his bedroom and watched, he even closed the gate we have on his door, lol!! (We have it so the cat doesn't go in, we don't lock him in there, I know how things can be misconstrued)

Well good luck with everything! HTH!

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Answer 10

You cant do much more than you are already. I would recommend for now to put him in a safe room with the TV on or some music to hide the loud noise while you vacuum. Its the noise not the vacuum itself that he is scared of. Good luck.